ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates: The United Arab Emirates and Iraq drew 1-1 Thursday in the first leg of their 2026 World Cup qualifying playoff in Abu Dhabi.
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The teams will travel to the Iraqi port city of Basra for Tuesday’s return match in the fifth round of Asian qualifying.
The winner will then advance to FIFA’s intercontinental playoff round in March, when six teams from five confederations will compete for two spots at next summer’s expanded 48-team World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
In front of a sellout crowd of 36,000 at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium, Iraq — whose only World Cup appearance came in 1986 — took the lead after just 10 minutes.
